Grass seed harvester



Nov. 10, 1953 H. ARMSTRONG 2,658,321

7 GRASS SEED HARVESTER Filed 001;. 3, 1949 4 Sheets$heet l INVENTOR, i dyfi firms/May.

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Nov. 10, 1953 H. ARMSTRONG 2,658,321

GRASS SEED HARVESTER Filed Oct. 3, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, I

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HIHHUH W NOV. 10, 1953 ARMSTRONG 2,658,321

GRASS SEED HARVESTER Filed Oct. 3, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 8 mmvron, I

Nov. 10, 1953 ARMSTRONG 2,658,321

GRASS SEED HARVESTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 3, 1949 INVENTOR, i/z/yi [rims/fairy.

Byfy/w Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Hugh Armstrong,

Armstrong- Carson Maryville, Mm,

Maryv'ille, Mm, 'assign'or to Manufacturing Company, .a. corporation ot Missouri Applicationoctober 3, 19.49,, SeriaLlNo. 119,353

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in seed harvesters and particularly to a seed harvester wherein a stripper cylinder is rotated in conjunction with a stripper bar whereby seed is stripped from grass and delivered to 'a seed box.

Due to the fact that the plants from which various seeds are harvested are of different heights and require adjustment of the stripper bar and cylinder from the ground level, this harvester has been designed to provide vertical adjusting means whereby the seed receiving box .may be maintained substantially horizontal during the various vertical adjustments of the stripper bar above the ground level.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a seed harvester having a stripper cylinder cooperating with a stripper bar that is mounted for vertical adjustment relative thereto.

A further object is the provision of a seed harvester having a stripper cylinder so mounted in the frame that it can be easily and quickly adjusted to and from a position within the seed box.

Another "object is the provision of an unusual drive connection 'between the bull wheel drive and the stripper cylinder whereby relative adjustment between these parts may be had for stripping grasses of diiierent heights.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, ease and eflic-iency of operation, and adaptability for harvesting seed from e. wide range of various types of seed plants.

With these objects in view as "well as other objects which will appear during the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawings wherein Fig. l is an end view of a seed harvester with parts "broken away, embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the harvester shown in .Fig. 1 with parts broken away.

Fig. '3 is a cross sectional view taken on :line III--III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is :an enlarged sectional view taken on line V-V of Fig. 4 with partsleft elevation.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-Vl of .Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a detached enlarged elevational view of one of the clutch operating springs.

.Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing the attachment of the stripper bar to the frame.

.Fig. 1'0 is a detached elevational view of the stripper bar.

on line VIP-VII Throughout the several views like reference characters "refer to similar parts and the numeral 10 designates a main frame mounted on a bull wheel I2 and a grain wheel H which are disposed in axial alignment to carry the frame in a substantially horizontal position. A tongue 16 is pivoted to the front side of frame in adjacent the bull wheel 12 by means of pins 18 and 20 which are respectively positioned 'for rotation in vertical standards 22 and :24 which are rigidly fixed to frame I'D. It will "be noted that tongue .1 6 is provided with a side brace member 26 which is joined to the "tongue proper by a tube 28. It is in the opposite ends of this tube that pins 18 and 20 are respectively mounted for convenient removal to remove the tongue for shipping. Rigidly secured to'tube 18 is a vertically disposed arm 30 pivoted .at its upper end "by bolt 32 to a crossbar '31, which is pivoted at its opposite end at 35 to a hand-operated lever arm 36, which "m'turn is pivoted at 38 to a toothed segment '40. Lever "arm 36 is manually adjustable along toothed segment -4t) "by engaging hand grip -42 to lift latch member M from the toothed segment and positioning it in the desired notch to adjust the tongue I 6 relative to the frame f0. Due tothe fact that the outer end 46 of tongue i6 is hitched to a tractor or another seed harvester, the adjustment of the tongue relative to the frame as just described will adjust the height of the front side of the frame relative to the ground for harvesting seed from grasses or grain of different heights.

Another means for adjusting frame I!) relative to the ground is provided for by the following means for adjusting the wheel axles relative to the frame. A vertically disposed tubular member i8 is rigidly secured to frame 10 "to slidably receive the standard 50 carrying the bull wheel axle 52. Member 48 is provided with aligned openings 5'4 to receive bolts 56 which also pass through 'one set of holes 58 passing through the side-walls of standard 50. By dropping the frame down so that the bolt will pass through the lower set of holes 58 the harvesting height will be'lowered.

For raising the harvester .ior harvesting higher positioned grass seed, the position of the standard iii) in the tube 48 can be reversed with the bull wheel axle 52 below frame it; furthermore with the bolt positioned in the lower set of holes 58, the harvester may be raised still higher.

The bullwheels axle is hollow 'toreceive a drive shaft 6'0 therethrough. The outer end of shaft is iastenediby apin 6:2 to thereduced end .portion 64 of the bull wheel hub 66, whereby as the harvester is drawn over the field the driveshaft 88 will be rotated to drive the stripper cylinder 68.

The grain wheel I4 is also adjustable relative to frame I8, in a manner similar to the adjustment of the bull wheel I2. This adjustability is provided for by the following means: A vertically disposed tubular member 18 rigidly secured to the end of frame I8 is adapted to slidably receive standard 12 carrying grain wheel axle 14. Member 18 is provided with aligned sets of holes 88 to receive bolt 18 which also passes through one set of holes 88 passing through the walls of standard 12. By dropping the frame down so that the bolt 18 will pass through the lower set of holes 88 the harvesting height will be lowered. Likewise the standard 12 may be vertically reversed so as to provide for the harvesting of high grass.

The stripper cylinder 68 comprises a pair of spaced-apart wheels 82 having hubs 84 in which is rigidly secured the hollow axle 88. One end of axle 88 is secured for rotation by pin 88 in standard 24 and the other end of the axle is secured for rotation in corner post 80 by pin 82. Mounted on the periphery of wheels 82 is a series of longitudinal slats 94 which are disposed in parallel relation with axle 86 and are secured to the respective wheels by means of bands 96 which tightly grip the slats 84 to hold them in position on lugs 98 which are integral with wheels 82. Each slat is provided with a series of spaced-apart radially extending spikes I08, which as the cylinder is rapidly rotated serve to strip the seed from the grass or grain and deliver it to a seed box I82 carried by frame I8. This seed box is provided with an end-wall I 84, spaced inwardly from the bull wheel, an end-wall I88 positioned adjacent the grain wheel I4, a bottom member I88, 3. rear-wall H8, and a top H2. Hinged at II4 to top H2 is a rearwardly extending cover II6, the rear edge of which is spaced apart from rear-wall II8 to present an air vent II8 therebetween. It will be noted that when the stripper cylinder is in the operative position on pins 88 and 82 the periphery thereof will extend forwardly beyond the open front side of box I82 to engage the materials to be harvested. When the harvester is not in use the stripper cylinder is positioned entirely within box I82 for its protection and to guard against accidental injury to persons due to the extended sharp teeth of the cylinder. The means for supporting the cylinder in the box comprises inwardly and downwardly inclined angle or channel irons I28 and I22, disposed in planar alignment with the faces of standard 24 and corner post 88 respectively so that when pins 88 and 92 are removed the cylinder will roll on shaft 86 into the box I82 to rest against abutment I28 where it will be positioned entirely within said box. Gravity will prevent the cylinder from moving outwardly through the front-wall opening. Also the shaft 86, at its opposite ends, might be anchored to the respective angle irons by means of stop-bolts (not shown) to more securely hold the parts in fixed relative relation.

The end-walls I84 and I88 are respectively notched at I85 and I81 to facilitate convenient adjustment of the parts.

Pivotally mounted on frame I8 at I24 is a spring seat bar I26 which carries a seat I28 which normally extends rearwardly of the frame I8 intermediate seed box I82 and bull wheel I2. When the seat is not in use it can be pivoted forwardly to a position between the bull wheel 4 and the seed box. A foot rest I38 is rigidly carried by frame I8 in a position convenient to seat I28.

The stripper cylinder 88 is driven by the bull wheel I2 as the harvester is pulled across the field by any suitable means. As stated above shaft 88 is pinned to the hub of wheel I2 to rotate therewith and is provided at its inner end with a universal coupling I 32 having a squared slip joint member I34 slidably mounted in squared coupling tube I88. The opposite end of tube I86 receives the slip joint connection I88 of universal joint I48, which in turn is fixed to shaft I42 mounted for rotation in bearing I44 adjustably fixed by bolts I48 to frame I8. Fixed to shaft I42 intermediate bearing I44 and universal joint I48 is a sprocket wheel I48. A bracket I58 adjustably mounted on the channel iron I28 by means of set screw I52 carries a perpendicularly disposed stub shaft I54 which is disposed in parallel relation with shaft I42. Mounted on shaft I54 is a plurality of integral sprocket wheels I56 comprising a relatively large central sprocket I58, a relatively small sprocket I68 at one side of sprocket I58 and an intermediate size sprocket I82 at the other side of said sprocket I58. These sprockets are equally spaced axially. As shown in the drawing sprocket wheel I48 is in operative alignment with sprocket wheel I68 and are interconnected by sprocket chain I64 so that as wheel I48 is rotated the sprocket wheels I58, I88 and I82 will be rotated at like speeds. Interconnected with sprocket I58 by means of chain I88 is a relatively small sprocket wheel I68 which is freely mounted on shaft 86 adjacent standard 24. The sprocket wheels are so arranged that when the harvester is pulled forwardly the peripheral speed of stripper cylinder will be greater than the peripheral speed of the bull wheel. To reduce the speed of rotation of the stripper cylinder the sprocket wheels I58 may be reversed on stub shaft I54 so that sprocket I 82 will be in alignment with sprocket I48 to lower the relative speeds of the stripper cylinder and the bull wheel.

The stripper cylinder 88 is driven by the following overriding clutch drive: Mounted on the hub I18 of sprocket wheel I88 is a pair of diametrically-opposed radial arms I12 designed to be engaged and driven by drive pins I14 which are slidably mounted in hubs 84 for reciprocation in parallel relation with shaft 86. These drive pins I14 are constantly urged to their normal extended position shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 by fiat springs I18 which are secured at one of their ends by screws I18 to wheel 82. This spring is slotted at its other end at I82 to engage in annular groove 282 formed in the end portion of pin I14, to firmly engage the pin and prevent relative rotation thereof. The outer ends are cut diagonally to present an inclined surface I84. This inclined surface is so positioned relative to the radial arms I12 that when the arms are rotated clockwise when viewed in the direction shown in Fig. 3 the arms I12 will engage the extended portion of pins I14 to drive the cylinder in a clockwise direction. Should the speed of cylinder 68 exceed the speed of the drivers I14 the cylinder will override the drivers by engaging the inclined surfaces I84 of the pins I14 to retract the pin and compress springs I16. This overriding action of stripper cylinder is important in that it prevents undue shock to the working parts. It will be noted that the universal connections between drive shaft 60 and shaft 142 is such that relative positions of the shafts due to the relative vertical adjustment of the frame above the ground is provided for and that a proper driving relation of the parts is always maintained.

The stripper bar best shown in Figs. 9 and 10 comprises an elongated bar I86 having straight edges I88 so that it can be reversed edge for edge or end for end and having transverse slots I90. A bolt I92 mounted in frame I0 passes through slot I90 so that when the nut is set the bar will be secured in the desired position relative to the frame. Also as the bar is raised it will increase the capacity of the seed box.

When the harvesters are used in tandem a hitch bar I94 anchored to the rear portion of frame I0 is used to engage the tongue of the following harvester. Several of the harvesters may be joined together and drawn by a single tractor.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A seed harvester comprising a frame, carried by a pair of substantially axially disposed wheels, a seed box having an open front carried by said frame, means for vertical adjustment of said frame on said wheels, a seed stripping cylinder having an axle mounted for rotation on 6 said frame in the open front of said seed box, downwardly and rearwardly inclined runways carried by said frame and adapted to receive the end portion of the cylinder axle whereby the cylinder may be positioned entirely within said seed box, means releasably securing said axle at the forward ends of said runways, a stripper bar fixed to said frame in operative relation below said stripper cylinder, and means interconnecting one of said wheels with said stripper cylinder whereby the stripper cylinder will be rotated as said harvester is drawn forwardly over a field.

HUGH ARMSTRONG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 32,416 Decker May 28, 1861 515,802 Storey Mar. 6, 1894 637,281 Pence Nov. 21, 1899 789,233 Rand May 9, 1905 897,844 Nettleship Sept. 1, 1908 1,600,877 Hardin Sept. 21, 1926 1,668,064 Freund May 1, 1928 1,735,104 Bebensee Nov. 12, 1929 2,204,115 Armstrong June 11, 1940 2,412,002 Nelson et al. Dec. 3, 1946 

